Ten Things of Thankful #97

I think this is the first time EVER that I’ve been so late arriving to the TToT. But yaknow what, this post is going to be SO FULL OF GLORIOUSLY HAPPY HAPPINESS that you’re not even going to mind. *I* don’t mind, even!Soooooo close to the beginning of the week, it was all tough and difficult and I had a horrid weekend and went all quiet and sulky cos reasons, but then Monday happened and I went back to work and got stuck into doing my job and making sure I was professional yadda yadda yadda, and then in the evening, after a suitably punchy round of boxing, Husby and I went shopping.

He grabbed the shopping bags, as ever, and off we went, wandering around the store with the bags tucked in the kiddie seat of the trolley. Now, dear readers, I interrupt this story to inform you that the bags had been in our larder (pantry) for the weekend. Shut in. Where they live. And that Husby had been mostly away. We shopped. We got to the checkout and put the shopping on the conveyer belt, and standing there, I suddenly saw a MOVEMENT from the corner of my eye. I turned, and THERE WAS OUR SPIDER CLIMBING OUT OF THE BAGS! Full on panic/anxiety/hilarity ensued.

I scooped the spider into my hands whilst hissing (through giggles (try it – it’s harder than you think)) “WE BROUGHT THE SPIDER SHOPPING! YOU DIDN’T SHUT HER AWAY PROPERLY” at Husby. We had a swift-but-quiet fight about him and responsibility and the lid of her tank, and people started to pay attention. I laughed lightly and explained we were having some ‘escaped pet trouble’, and the guy standing behind me looked so interested I peeped my hands open to show him.

He immediately backed off, clearly worried.

Then people noticed her. Poor, maligned Spidey-Girl…we were shrieked at, laughed at, given funny looks, and the entire shop was in uproar and everyone’s evening descended into a fracas which had been sparked by the (relatively) Itsy Bitsy (Sneaksy) Spidey I held in my hands.

We left as quickly as we could. She sat in my lap as I drove home (Husby wouldn’t hold her “In case she bites me and I drop her”) and she sulked, with her legs drawn up over her head, until we got out of the car and she perked up and got all cocky about having gotten out, and stood up on her tippy toes and looked all pleased with herself. I told her she was a very bold spider, and SHUT HER LID PROPERLY. Then told Husby I only wasn’t mad at him cos it was toooooo funny.

I was ever-so thankful that she was HOME, that she was SAFE, and that we hadn’t SQUASHED HER WITH SHOPPING!

The week went well, and relatively smoothly, thanks in large part to long chats with some of my most wonderful friends, who know all the things there is to know of me, and who support me in spite of the way I cycle round with silliness, the way I get tied up in mental knots, and the way I sometimes just can’t be told. My especial thanks to Hasty, Beth, Samara and Mandi, all of whom were instrumental in propping me up until I was able to continue with a vaguely rational frame of mind,

My PARTICULARLY happysparklyglowy thanks to Kristi, who sent me a gorgeous card, which cheered me up just beautifully; to Hasty for writing a deliciously wonderful poem for me, and to my incredibly wonderful friend from netball, who invited me round for wine and pizza after the game (which is why I wasn’t here, peeps – it took me about 2.3 seconds to decide to GO OUT AND LIVE. So I did. And I loved it).

Then on SATURDAY (see how my Thankfuls are BANG up to date?) I went and got my hair did, which was LOVELY and I had a beautiful chat, as ever, with my hairdresser girl, who is just SWEET, and awesome fun, and she did me proud. While I was waiting for bleach to bleach and then dye to dye, I began reading the book which Mandi sent me for Christmas, and it’s rather delightful and I’m loving it so far (also loving that it still had glitter between its pages). Then I popped in on my Grandad to say hello and chat for a while and show him my new hair and catch up.

After that I popped to the shops, briefly saw Niece and Neff in the queue at the store, whilst I was buying apples, so got some additional hugs and schnoogles with them. Then I had some card-shopping to do, found some perfect pieces, and decided that rather than buy them, take them home and then probably not write them for ages, I would STOP, and go to a CAFE and sit down with a HOT DRINK and WRITE.

So I did. Because I could.

And it was LOVERLY.

I had a Hug-in-a-mug (my pet name for a milk steamer with a shot of hazelnut syrup – a total kiddie drink but I love it) and a toasted teacake, and I sat at a table and read more of my book, then as I started writing, a teacher friend showed up out of the blue, seeking sanctuary from distraction, so she shared my table and did her grading while I wrote letters, and we wiled away an hour or more in companionable silence, breaking off from our activities to giggle at the shocking things her students had said in their French exams.

Then I posted my letters (no queue, either) and returned home to find that my day SUDDENLY GOT A MILLION TIMES BETH-ER – there was a gorgeous, book-shaped package on the sofa, and I opened it, absolutely BREATHLESS with delight and YES! It was – my very own, autographed (and lovingly inscribed) copy of Order of Seven. I immediately rifled through the pages, smelled the new-ink smell, marvelled at my BlogWife’s name in ACTUAL REAL PRINT IN MY HANDS, and smoothed the glossy, gorgeous cover. Then I took photos of me with it because I was smileyhappysilly about it.

I also got to listen to the anthem which Mandi sent me, and which I’m going to try to take to heart. Can’t begin to tell you how deeply music speaks to me, and this is wonderful and a very determined song. I’ll try. Can’t guarantee it, but it’s aspirational, which is brilliant. Then this evening, after all that, I went out to a colleague’s wedding reception, where there was good company and giggles and pick’n’mix and music. And I got to wear gorgeous shoes.

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79 thoughts on “Ten Things of Thankful #97”

Ok…so this is the third blog I’ve commented on and it doesn’t seem to be working. Fingers crossed. Love your new hair. Sorry I’m late to the party. And in case my last comment didn’t make it…thinking about joining the hundredth TTOT. I love a good party.

Oh, I’m ever so late to the party, but I wanted to express how happy your post made me. Except the bit about the spider, which slightly terrified me. How did I not know you had a live-in 8-legged, fuzzy friend?

Nope. No. Nope.
This was me going AHHHHHHHHH….all the way down the page. I can’t read or look at spiders. That is how seriously seriously seriously bad my phobia is of spiders. I’m not even lying. I’m that effing terrified of them. TERR….EEEEEEEEE…..FFFFFFF….IIIIIIEEEEEEE….DDDDDD

I know, my sweet, and I’m sorry. I know I got you on instagram the other day, too, but your reaction was absolutely bloody priceless (sorry!) I promise you if we ever get to meet, I will leave the spidey in England.

I love what a wonderful weekend you had. LOVE. I’m so happy right now I could dance. So maybe I will. Also, Kidzilla LOVES milk steamers. She gets them when we go shopping together and has it while I have my coffee. It’s wonderful. Perhaps when you are here we will take you for a milk steamer. Wait until I tell her you love those – she will be so delighted. She’s quite fascinated by the whole idea of knowing someone from far away England.
And just a bit upset about the spider picture – they terrify me and so I nearly vomited when I saw it and then had to close my eyes to scroll past. Ugh.
I am really and truly happy for you, my friend. Such good things in here.

Sorry about nearly making you throw up. I refuse to put a trigger warning on for a spider. Call it my helpful way of offering a smidgen of desensitisation therapy, and know that it can’t get you through the computer.

I would LOVE to go for a milk steamer with Kidzilla (do they have hazelnut syrup?) and I hope she likes the idea that they’re my faves. I’ll have to send her a postcard or something soon – I keep thinking I should and then I somehow manage to drop it between the layers of everything else which is going on in life.

I’m glad you like how much good there was in my week. I needed a week with some UP in it 🙂

Dear, beautiful Lizzi,
You make me smile – every day. It may seem like I’m gone, hiding, hibernating – whatevs, but I’m always around soaking up your glittery love. I send you silent vibes and hugs and thank the stars for the cool friendships that develop in cyberspace.
And the spider!?!? I loved that story! I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only person who saves all the little spideys and puts them in safe places (garden, duh!)
The anthem? F*kin Perfect 🙂 xo

The anthem is gorgeous and just what I needed. Just what I need. Just right, for right now, and somehow music is something which I find very healing and breaking and mending and something which gets into all the in-between bits.

Thanks for the vibes and hugs. I need them today. Glad to know you’re always around somewhere in this world between the wires, and I’m pleased to know I make you smile.

That’s a lot of happiness sprinkled into a weekend, Lizzi. Regarding the spider, well, I can’t say happiness was the first emotion that came to mind but if it made you happy, then it made me happy (kind of). I am enjoying Beth’s book as well. I am the slowest reader of books that ever existed because I always have something else that I should be doing nagging at me and I feel guilty ignoring it all to read. I have got to get over this guilt thing sometime. 🙂

Ahhhh that’s not good guilt. The best way to address that is desensitisation – sit with the feeling and know that you’ll catch up later, and that it’s OKAY. If ever there was a good book for keeping your mind occupied while you try to ignore the rest of life, it’s Order of Seven. And if you find you need more book therapy once Oo7 is finished, then Dear Stephanie will be released VERY soon, and that’s another which would do the trick.

I know it’s a bit odd to be made happy about a spider but I really do like her. She’s got a tremendously large personality, and she really is quite sweet.

(while I am not known as a total arachnophile), I simply pictured a lesser-legged non-human family member and totally enjoyed the imagery. And I didn’t need to visualize Sigourney Weaver even once!
Hairs look good.

sorry… I suspect you were, like, 3 years old when ‘Alien’ first came out in the theaters. It made quite the impression back in the day, not about spiders, per se, simply alien (which many of us consider spiders, at least to the extent of the very… special way of moving about they have)… and the movie had the very cool ‘tag line’… “in space, no one can hear you scream”

(not that I would scream at a surprise spider! I am, after all, a grandmaster resident of Y Chromia and it is considered quite gauche to scream in a supermarket!)

whoa, this was definitely worth being a day late for! I had forgotten all about your spider-in-the-grocery-bags incident! I bet there’s not many other people on the planet who have a story quite like that. hahaha

and OHMYGOSH I was so excited to see you got THE BOOK!!! I couldn’t wait any longer for that to get to you because YOU have been an incredible support – like AMAZING – I just can’t believe how blessed I am to have the kind of support I have. It blows my little mind. Really and truly.

Your hair….can’t even explain how much I LURV IT. So so so so rad and cute.

They are. There was some serious GOODNESS going on last week, and I’m ever so thankful that there was. I needed it. I shall consider it buffering for the week ahead, and thinking about it, perhaps I need to somehow schedule some NICE to look forward to (though at the moment I haven’t the energy to consider it, really, so that might be my task for tomorrow).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my book, and the beautiful inscription which made me well up with happiness and pride and gratitude and love, because I’m only too happy to help, and so, so glad that you’ve found the support useful, and also just…friendship. You make my day so often, just by being in it, and I’m forever grateful I bumped into you in this weird ole world between the wires.

Having held her on Monday, I decided today would be a good day to get Spidey out again, this time to show the kids. Neff was less than thrilled and told me (repeatedly) that he wasn’t in a spidery mood. Niece, on the other hand, was fascinated and stroked her (very gently) on the abdomen, and Spidey was as good as gold and just sat, enjoying the warmth from my hand. She’s got a new home now, with a lid which will DEFINITELY have to be closed right or not at all – not like the slidey lids, which were a bit sketchy. *phew*

I think the supermarket story is hysterical and the man behind you curious as he was still backed away – LOL lovely week – hairdo is so cute and rocking – a surprise card and book in the mail is the best! 🙂

OH MAN I WISH SOMEONE WOULD BRING COOL PETS LIKE THAT TO OUR GROCERY STORE! Im so glad she didnt get hurt! whew! I still have to read Beth’s book… its in my lineup I just havent gotten to it yet. Soon!

I’d appreciate them more on vlog, I think. Imagination is all very well, but for that kind of reaction, ya really want a video. Was there also shrieking? Did you weeb out? Did you jump on a chair? What HAPPENED?

Are you deliberately trying to make me swear? My adopted brother had a tarantula when we were kids, called Rosie, as if it was cute. My sleep was impaired from the age of eight. Now you may well impair it further. Thanks, greatly 😉